Froch vs. Ward: The Failure of the Super 6 World Boxing Classic

The original purpose of the Super Six World Boxing Classic was to take the six best super middleweight boxers in the world, place them in a tournament and undoubtedly decide the single greatest boxer within this weight division.

In this respect, the Super Six tournament has been a failure.

There are more questions now within the middleweight division than there were two years ago, when this whole process started.

I think the creators of this tournament had good intentions, but the duration of the tournament has spanned over two years, which is too long to hold fan interest. People started off as excited about this experiment, but as it nears its conclusion, they’re more relieved.

The other problem with the length of this tournament is that a lot has changed within the division. Fighters that were prominent are now obscure and past their prime, and new super talents have emerged.

While Carl Froch was wasting his time battling an over-the-hill Arthur Abraham, Sergio Martinez and Lucian Bute were dramatically knocking out their opponents. People were drawn to the action-packed fights of Martinez and Bute, and bored with the lackluster results of the Super Six.

Both Sergio Martinez and Lucian Bute are bigger draws than either Carl Froch or Andre Ward. As the Super Six contenders were spinning their wheels against each other, Martinez and Bute have impressively destroyed their opponents and have become major superstars. Their conquests have come at the expense of the Super Six participants.

When the winner of the Super Six is crowned this Saturday, they still will not be recognized by the public as the best middleweight in the world. The same questions will linger that existed two years ago.

Froch or Ward will possess the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles, but Bute and Martinez will own the respect and the favor of the fans.

The winner of this tournament will be a champion in the books, but not in the hearts of the fans.